The present invention relates generally to the treatment and nutritional support of patients. More specifically, the present invention relates to providing nutrition to pediatric patients.
The measurement of diet adequacy in patients, especially pediatric patients, is difficult. Increases in a child's weight and length only grossly reflect nutritional progress. The daily requirements for adequate nutrition are especially significant for the growing child compared with the adult. The relative need for protein, vitamins and minerals remains constant and is greater than that of adults. Moreover, requirements for various vitamins depend on the intake of calories, protein, fat, carbohydrate and specific amino acids.
While the nutritional- needs of the pediatric patient differ from adult patients, in health care settings, adult nutritional formulas are the primary form of elemental nutrition currently being used for children. Naturally, adult formulas do no take into effect the known nutritional needs of the pediatric patient. These adult enteral nutritional products must be diluted to decrease concentrations of, for example, protein, sodium, chloride and the renal solute load levels recommended for children. This dilution reduces the concentrations of other needed nutrients that are often already in concentrations too low for children (i.e. calcium and phosphorous). Thus, providing a nutritional formula designed specifically for children would be advantageous.
A whole protein enteral formula sold under the trademark PEDIASURE.RTM. is currently available from Ross Laboratories for nutritional therapy of pediatric patients. pEDIASURE.RTM. contains 12% protein, 44% carbohydrates, and 44% fat. The whole protein formula has a protein composition of 82% casein and 18% whey.
Although PEDIASURE.RTM. is formulated for children, it is designed to provide nutrition for a limited population, namely 1 to 6 years old. As a result thereof, while PEDIASURE.RTM. may meet the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council (NAS-NRC) Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) for children 1 to 6 years old in 1000 calories, it requires 1300 calories to meet the RDA of children ages 7 to 10 years.
Moreover, due to the whole protein nature of PEDIASURE.RTM. eand other currently used nutritional products, such products do not meet the nutritional needs of certain pediatric patients. Many pediatric patients have health conditions that impair nutrient absorption and/or reduce gastrointestinal tolerance for diets which are based on whole proteins as well as long-chain fatty acids and/or complex carbohydrates. Examples of the diseases and conditions include, but are not limited to, Crohn's disease, cystic fibrosis, short bowel syndrome, cerebral palsy, HIV/AIDS, chronic diarrhea and gastric reflux.
Therefore, a need exists for a nutritional formula designed to meet the nutritional needs of a larger base of pediatric patients as well as pediatric patients with impaired nutrient absorption and/or reduced gastrointestinal tolerance.